Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA) / WiMAX Press Releases

Diamond Viewpoint: WiMAX's Disruptive Potential Driving Strategic Responses

Consulting Firm Report Explores WiMAX as Both Threat and Opportunity

CHICAGO, April 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Intel, Motorola and Sprint/Nextel are betting billions of dollars that WiMAX, the trade name given to technologies based on the IEEE 802.16 standards for broadband wireless communications, will disrupt the communications industry. Those investments should compel traditional cable companies, wireless service providers and others to rethink their own strategies over the next 12 months according to telecom experts at Diamond Management & Technology Consultants, Inc. (NASDAQ:DTPI).

"The revenue potential of WiMAX has given rise to an entirely new ecosystem of component suppliers, infrastructure vendors and device manufacturers that have established bedrock industry-wide standards," said Hamilton Sekino, a partner in Diamond's Telecom and High Tech practice. "Not everyone agrees on WiMAX's impact, but the threats and opportunities are so pervasive that every company in the communications space has to consider a competitive response. They have to hedge their bets."

Verizon Wireless Offers BroadbandAccess Router Service For Enterprise Customers

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., April 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless, the nation's leading wireless service provider, today announced the immediate availability of BroadbandAccess Wireless Router Service to provide high-speed wireless wide area network (WAN) access for business customers.  The company is also announcing the certification of the Cisco 3G Wireless WAN High Speed Interface Card (HWIC) for select Cisco integrated service routers for integration with BroadbandAccess Wireless Router Service.  Wireless broadband- enabled routers allow businesses to link various devices within an office or remotely in cases of automatic teller machines (ATM), cash registers or branch office laptops.

"BroadbandAccess Wireless Router Service on the Verizon Wireless network is a secure, reliable back-up to landline service," said Cindy Patterson, vice president of enterprise data sales for Verizon Wireless. "The certification of the Cisco 3G Wireless HWIC solution, which is also Rev. A-compatible, provides our business customers with a cost-effective alternative that can keep their operation up and running under a variety of circumstances and in numerous environments."

Wi-Fi / Mobile Convergence Benefits Would Entice Many Subscribers to Switch Wireless Carriers and Abandon Landlines

(If nothing else, this is an amusing "shot across the bow" of the mobile telephony industry during the frenzy of the annual CTIA conference. - SKS)

New study from ABI Research and Wi-Fi Alliance(R) indicates strong desire for coverage, throughput and affordability offered by dual-mode mobile phone services

AUSTIN, Texas, March 27 /PRNewswire/ -- One in four U.S. wireless subscribers would switch cellular carriers for access to the benefits of Wi-Fi / Mobile Convergence, according to a new independent study conducted by ABI Research and released by the Wi-Fi Alliance.  Nearly one in three subscribers would discontinue their traditional home phone service in order to access two of the key benefits of convergence: strong in-home signal coverage and reduced pricing for calls made from home.

Wi-Fi connectivity in a converged mobile phone can offer as much as five times the throughput versus 3G networks, as well as improved indoor coverage. When using a converged phone, the subscriber is handed off from a cellular to a Wi-Fi network when one becomes available. Carriers can leverage Wi-Fi to efficiently manage scarce licensed spectrum resources by allowing subscribers to connect through a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum. Carriers worldwide are launching Wi-Fi / Mobile Convergence service plans which include a combination of benefits including reduced voice and data pricing, delivered over Wi-Fi networks at home and in hotspots.